Eletech Sonnet of Adam

Divine Touch of Gold!

PROS: helps with a natural-revealing finetuning of the sound, improves clarity, resolution and retrieval of details in mids, expands the perception of soundstage and imaging, soft and lightweight, excellent workmanship, durable build, quality leather case along with a creative packaging.

CONS: price, the sound improvement varies depending on pair up synergy.

The product was provided to me free of charge for the review purpose in exchange for my honest opinion.

Manufacturer website: Eletech Audio. Available for sale directly or from authorized retailers like Bloom Audio and MusicTeck.

Preamble.

I’m aware that some people don’t believe in cables and have very strong opinion about it. It’s not my intent to start an argument here. Instead, I would like to share what I hear during my testing. Perhaps, I can’t fully explain why there is a change in sound, but I do hear it and don’t believe it’s a placebo effect. What makes sense to me, a metal wire is a material with physical properties of resistivity, conductivity, and purity, all of which put together act as a filter between your source and earphones. Variations of these physical properties can affect the conductivity of analog signal, resulting in a sound change, from a subtle to a more noticeable level. Also, the sound change introduced by a specific cable is not universal because it will depend on the design of earphones and their pair up synergy with a source.

Intro.

Sometimes I wonder about the logic behind wire selection when it comes to new cables. I’m well aware that many manufacturers go through a lengthy process of trying different combinations of wire material and geometry, noting sound changes, until they come up with a final design combo. But I have a feeling, when it comes to Eletech’s Parnassus Signature flagship series, the wire selection is not exactly random. The original “member” of this series was Iliad cable, featuring triple bespoke silver wires, such as pure silver, palladium-plated silver, and gold-silver alloy. Their Ode to Laura has a triple bespoke copper blend. Silver, Copper, so what is next? Gotta be Gold!

Triple bespoke gold blend of wires is what Eric Chong and his Eletech team decided to use in their latest flagship cable release named Sonnet of Adam which I had a pleasure to test in the last month and would like to share about it today.

Unboxing.

The unboxing of Eletech cables is always a one-of-a-kind experience because you never know what to expect inside, and the packaging itself is glamourous enough to go up on a display. With the theme of this new cable being Sonnet of Adam, inspired by one of Michelangelo’s famous paintings in the Sistine Chapel, “Creation of Adam”, that divine image is resonated on the cover, under the cover, on the plexiglass insert, and even in a separate miniature painting set in its own picture frame. Every little detail stands out here, from the box sleeve with precise cut outs making a window to reveal the painting on the cover of the box inside, to the actual box with a magnetic cover that looks like a classical book you can place on the shelf.

Inside, there is a plexiglass insert with a colorful artwork setting in the background and a detailed spec of the cable printed in the foreground. Once you remove the insert plate (the corners of which are strategically cut to make it easier to lift it up), you will find a cutout in the foam base of the box with one of the Eletech signature custom leather cases, in green, with a premium zipper around it and extra buckle going over the top. Next to the case there is another cutout pocket in the foam and a small picture frame with “Creation of Adam” painting. You will also find a beautifully crafted metal plate with a serial number, and a cable organizer leather strip in a matching green finish like the included storage case.

Design.

Adam features 4 wires, 23 AWG in thickness, with each having a multi-sized stranding design with 9 Core Litz of triple bespoke premium gold blend which includes Gold-Silver alloy, Gold-Plated Silver, and Gold-Plated Copper. Every strand is individually enameled and also cryogenically treated, and its core is reinforced with infused Kevlar strands. The final blend of wires is wrapped in a transparent FlexiMax insulation to showcase the sparkle of the premium plated material.

The hardware of the cable is updated to match the theme of Sonnet of Adam with all new customized y-split and the plug, featuring new patterns and shapes and Eletech’s engraved logo (on both) and name (on the plug housing). The look and the feel are always premium to the touch using aluminum alloy material, designed to shield and to reject EMF interference. The IEM connector housing is very compact, also made from a matching aluminum alloy and has Eletech’s logo on outside and corresponding engraved L/R marking on inside. Inside the plug and connectors, Eletech uses bespoke audiophile solder. Then, a flexible heatshrink earhook portion of the cable is adjacent to the connector. Overall, the cable is lightweight, very flexible, and non-microphonic.

At this point in my other Eletech cable reviews I would finish Design section with the usual “I wish the chin slider was part of the design”, but… I guess my and others prayers have been answered this time because finally there is a chin slider, a small matching aluminum alloy sliding tab with Eletech name on both sides. It’s about time!